Janeska Stamenkovska, IvanaDimitrievski, DragiErjavec, EmilZgajnar, JakaMartinovska-Stojcheska, AleksandraSpreadsheet Tool for Economic Efficient Production Planning; Case of Macedonian Vegetable Farms14Farm ManagementProductivity Analysis20132013Macedonian vegetable farms face big challenge in decision making to improve
their production plans. To increase economic efficiency, different tools could be
applied that beside natural conditions, resource allocation, technical and
technological conditions, consider also economic viewpoint. In this paper we present
an example of a spreadsheet tool based on mathematical programming paradigm. It
enables one to utilise optimization potential of linear programming, with an objective
function of maximising the expected gross margin, subject to set of different
constraints. To have a representative tool, special focus has been put on data that
are obtained with direct interviews with relevant experts and stakeholders:
researchers, crop technology specialists, extension agents, input suppliers and
vegetable farmers and supplemented with Farm Monitoring System data for 2010.
The tool was tested on hypothetical vegetable farm. It proved to be an efficient tool
that could support operative, tactical and strategic planning at the farm level, since it
facilitates the selection of adequate production activities of vegetable crops, while
taking into consideration the limitations of the available production factors. Due to
its flexibility it is also an appropriate tool for analysing decision making in different
production conditions that may occur.Conference Paper/ Presentation